Hello everybody, I am back again with the seventh update. Hope you all enjoy it and please do comment. I am requesting even the silent readers (if I have any) to comment. Please, Please guys do share your views and yes, I am as always open for suggestions and demands. Happy Reading…
A/N: this story is basically a narrative one. So as long as Radhika does not know Arjun’s truth, he would be referred to as Aryan only.
CHAPTER 7
“Oh, come on girl; please don’t be a spoil sport.” Samaira clipped all angry now. She had been trying to convince Radhika for a club night for about two hours now.
“No doll, you go and enjoy.” Radhika replied for the umpteenth time.
“Fine. You spoiled my night.” Samaira huffed, stomped her foot and went to her room closing the door with a loud bang.
Radhika sat on the couch all guilty now. This is what Samaira had wanted. She used the age old method of emotional blackmail! Now Radhika was pondering over all the good Samaira had ever done and how ungrateful she was by refusing her. So after a deep internal conflict of just five minutes she went towards Samaira’s room.
“Sam, I am ready to go. Please don’t be upset.” Radhika said knocking on her room door. Samaira who had been waiting for this quickly opened the door, jumped on her and kissed her cheek.
“I so love you girl. Now get ready fast.” she said releasing her from the tight hug.
“Aren’t you angry on me?” Radhika asked surprised.
“No baby. I can never be angry on you. It was my way to convince you.” And with that she winked at Radhika and quickly got into her room to change.
Radhika stood there in shock for some seconds and then went to change smiling.
“This is so not for me.” Radhika exclaimed tensely as she saw the night club approaching from the car’s window.
“Relax girl. You will be fine.” Samaira clipped from the driver’s seat. “Plus you have so many of us to take care of you.” she added.
“So many? I thought it was our time together.” she said glancing at her friend. “Whom did you call to join us?” she continued with a slight raise of her eyebrow. Her voice stern and serious. She was expecting Samaira to say the names of her colleagues or their common friends but what came out of her mouth shocked Radhika to the core.
“No way. You just did not do that.” she asked her friend while glaring daggers at her. She still could not believe that. ‘How could she? Yes, of course! There was something fishy in her from the start.’ a sudden realisation dawned on Radhika as she recalled the last two hours in her mind.
Radhika was preparing herself to kill Samaira with her scolding when the car came to a halt.
“We are here. Now, there’s no going back.” said Samaira at last looking directly at her friend and smiling wide. The smile that usually gave Radhika immense pleasure was now irritating her to no end. She was completely pissed because of her.
“I so hate you for this.” she said as she got down the car and treaded her way towards the entry. She knew there was no escape now and so she decided to face what her fate had in store for her.
The club was dimly lit with loud music blaring from the speakers. A huge crowd had gathered on the dance floor dancing like crazies on the recent hits. Another huge lot had occupied the seats and were busy either chatting or eating. There was the occasional ‘cheers’ heard which symbolised the good and fun mood all around. Even in this happy time, Radhika was tensed as Samaira had called ARYAN and Neil to join them. Neil was okay and she was ever grateful to him as he saved her life but not Aryan. Radhika was dreading to meet him especially when she got to know that he was her best friend’s fiancé. Plus she was cross with him for being so indifferent to her. But there she was partying with him.
Radhika came out of her trance when Samaira pulled her by her arm and dragged her towards a table. It took Radhika some time to get her eyes adjusted to the surrounding and when her clear vision returned what she saw made her pale. There he was giving them his famous signature smile. Radhika’s heart skipped a beat involuntarily. She couldn’t help it. ‘This is so not right.’ she thought to herself. Finally when they reached the table Aryan gave Samaira a hug and shook hands with her. ‘Don’t I deserve a hug’ her heart enquired. ‘No, you don’t! At least not from him.’ her mind answered back.
“How are you Radhika?” he asked at last.
“Good.” she replied with attitude. ‘One week. One whole damn week and he is asking this to me now? Where was he all this while? In hell, I suppose.’Radhika thought surprised and got all the more pissed with him and Samaira too.
Well, as all got settled Neil arrived with four shots.
“Hello pretty ladies, let’s start this night with one shot each promising to party till dawn.’ said Neil as he handed the shots. Radhika usually avoided alcohol but today she badly needed it. She needed the courage to stay strong under the intense glaze of Aryan. ‘This is the first and the last’ she reminded herself as she gulped it down in one go. The liquid went through leaving a burning trail down her throat.
“Come on let’s go dance.” Samaira chirped as she pulled Aryan in a tug.
“No, Sam. Not now.” Aryan pleadingly refused.
“Please Aryan, you will get what you want and soon.” Samaira replied back dragging him to the dance floor.
“Hey wait, I’m joining too.” shouted Neil from behind. He was about to go when…
“Aren’t you coming?” he asked turning towards Radhika who had been sitting quietly all this while.
“Umm, no. You guys go. I’ll join later.” she lied. She had no plan of joining them, ever.
“Ok. Come soon.”
As Radhika sat there watching the trio dance with full energy, her mind drifted back to the day of her accident. It had been a week now but she still clearly remembered that day.
No sooner had she opened her eyes than she saw Aryan present beside her. But he was hugging her best friend. Radhika felt her whole world crumbling down at that very moment. It was as if a million knives stabbed her heart. She didn’t know why but it hurt her. A lot. She kept looking towards them and had no idea when her eyes got filled with tears. They broke the hug finally and looked towards her. Radhika had noticed the shock on their faces. She couldn’t understand why.
Samaira then got up and hugged her. But she could feel the tension raising. Radhika had secretly glanced towards Aryan during the hug and found him sitting like a stone staring at her. ‘Are they together? Is he not my Arjun after all?’ her mind enquired. She did not want to harvest any false hopes nor did she want to interpret the whole situation wrongly. So she asked Samaira directly.
“What is he doing here Sam? How do you know him?” she asked after breaking the hug.
Radhika felt her friend giving a small sigh of relief and then stiffening up almost as immediately. ‘What was that for?’ she wandered. As she impatiently waited for the answer she noticed Samaira was lost in some deep thought.
“Samaira?”
“Oh, yes doll.” She said snapping out of her thoughts. “Well, I called him here for I was much tensed about you.”
“Ok, so how do you know him?” she repeated her question trying to act cool.
“Umm, about that.” She hesitated at first but then completed the sentence in a go. “He is my fiancé.”
“WHAT? I mean really.” Radhika said hiding her pain. She had thought a moment ago that the situation could get no worse. But she was so wrong. She felt miserable. It was as if someone snatched her life from her. She felt broken. Lost. Terribly upset.
Radhika looked at the faces of Aryan and Samaira. None were happy; rather they were stressed to the core. ‘That is so odd.’ she thought to herself and thus, decided to stretch the issue further, to know more but a sudden arrival put a halt to it.
Radhika looked up to see a familiar face smiling at her.
“NEIL! What are you doing here?” she asked all happy now.
Neil was Arjun’s best friend. He too was in the force. After Arjun’s sudden disappearance he was the one to push her through. But, it had been months since she had last seen him. Now, he was here again, jolly as ever.
“Well, I think it’s time for you to thank me. After all, this macho man saved your life.” Neil said coming towards her and giving her a hug.
“So it was you?” she asked surprised.
“Yes. Me, your prince charming.” he teased.
Radhika just smiled in return. Neil had a habit of making her smile whenever they talked and she loved it. It was a brother-sister relation for them.
Just then the doctor arrived with the police and Radhika had to go over the pain of recalling that disastrous incident all over again. Radhika realised that Aryan had not talked even once since she gained her senses. She looked towards the stool where he was sitting and found it empty. She again looked around the whole room but he was nowhere to be seen. He had left without even informing or asking how she was.
She was kept in observation for a day and then discharged. Samaira took great care of her and Neil too visited frequently. But Aryan, not even once. She felt dejected but then reminded herself the bitter truth of him being somebody else’s. Radhika wanted to talk to Samaira about her relationship with Aryan but was never courageous enough. So she let it be for the time.
“Hey, you on your own tonight?” Radhika came back to the present and looked up to see a handsome guy staring at her.
“No, I am here with my friends.” she replied softly.
“Well, they seem busy. Wanna join me for a dance?” he asked again sitting beside her this time.
“No, thank you. I am fine.” she refused.
“Oh, come on girl. Just one dance I promise.” The guy said now holding Radhika’s hand forcefully.
Radhika panicked and looked around to find her friends. But she could see none. ‘Where are they?’ she thought annoyed.
“Hey, leave me.” she retorted after turning her gaze back on him.
“It’s alright baby. We are going to have some fun. Come with me.” He said pulling her towards him.
‘Baby? Fun? What is he saying?’ It took Radhika some seconds to comprehend the actual meaning behind those words and when realisation dawned on her she panicked even more.
Suddenly she felt a hand on her waist. “Is everything okay star?”
Radhika froze right then and there. ‘Was it Arjun?’ She slowly turned her head around to see and found Aryan standing right behind her. She sighed in relief.
“Excuse me can you let go of my wife’s hand I have a thing about strangers touching her” he slid in between them and the guy’s grip loosened up. ‘Did he just call me his wife?’ Radhika thought astonished. ‘Oh, it sounded so good, coming from his mouth. But it could never be true.’
She took the opportunity to pull her hand away and hid behind Aryan. Aryan’s broad back covered her petite form completely from the heinous gaze of that man.
That guy gave one look to both of them and went away. Radhika could feel Aryan breathing hard and trying to control his anger. Now, with that man gone completely, he turned around and grabbed her hand to caress the place where he held him.
TO BE CONTINUED…